Cable conforming connector sleeve



4, 1970 A. P. NEWMAN 3,522,578

CABLE CONFORMING CONNECTOR SLEEVE Filed Feb. 27, 1968 INVENTOR. ALBERT P. NEWMAN 7&3; W

ATTORNEY nited States Patent 2 Claims ABSTRACTLOF THE DISCLOSURE An insulating sleeve for use to protect an electrical connector and its juncture where it, is assembled to an electric cable is provided, such sleeves having a plurality of internal bore portions of progressively decreasing .diametions. The groove means provides protection against the development of a gap between cable and sleeve when the connector and sleeve are bent relative to the cable.

This invention relates to protective means for terminal connectors on electrical cables, and more particularly to an insulating sleeve for a releasably engageable electrical connector assembled to an electrical cable.

The electrical connector art now includes -well known devices for attaching to the ends of separate lengths of electric cable, which connectors on adjoining cable lengths may be releasably interengaged. For example, connectors for this purpose of one particular type are shown in US. Pat. No. 3,143,384 to R. Senior, Jr. The art now oifers also protective devices, or sleeves, to insulate such connectors against electric contact and otherwise during use. Sleeves for this purpose are likewise shown in the above mentioned same patent to R. Senior, J r.

In use, the connector is first assembled to its electrical cable and then the insulating sleeve is placed about it to enclose it and protect it. Such assemblies commonly result in a terminal assembly on the cable in which the free end presents the means for interengagement with another connector, while the insulating sleeve extends from the free end to overlay the connector and electric cable, including the juncture between connector and cable. It is generally desirable, in view of the fact that one of the objectives in such assemblies is to shield the connector from outside influences, that the insulator fit snugly about the cable. In some applications it is desirable that there be no possibility of moisture entering the assembly at the juncture between sleeve and cable, and where this is necessary such juncture may be vulcanized to prevent the entry of any fluid. In many other applications, however, such certainty against the entry of moisture is unnecessary and the expense of vulcanization may be unwarranted. In such applications, the sleeve where it overlays the cable may simply embrace it closely.

In the latter type of sleeve, i.e., that which is not vulcanized to the cable, I have found that when the connector or insulating sleeve is grasped and bent at an angle to the cable, where conventional sleeves are used, a comparatively wide gap will appear between sleeve and cable, so that the protective aspect of the presence of the sleeve is entirely vitiated. In the field, cables having terminal connctors are not so carefully handled that gapping of this sort can be readily avoided by the exercises of care, nor can it be assumed that damage to connector and conductive strands within the cable due to exposure of connector and cable to detrimental influences will be inconsequential.

It is the primary object of this invention to provide a novel insulating sleeve for terminal electrical connectors 3,522,578 Patented Aug. 4,- 1970 which will not gap away from the cable, even though the terminal .connector may be bent at a severe angle to the cable. I contemplate that this primary objective will be achieved even though cables of dilferent diameter may be used with a particular sleeve, that is, my novel sleeve will accommodate cables of varying diameter yet will still fit snugly about the cable, and will still function to avoid gapping though the connector end is bent with respect to the cable.

The way in which this primary objective is implemented is to provide within the sleeve an internal bore having a plurality of portions such portions being of progressively decreasing diameter, and a groove between each pair of portions. In practice the bore portion closest in size to that of the cable being used is selected, and the g i g; portion of the sleeve containing bore portions of lesser ter, and groove means between each pair of bore pordiameter is cut oif. A snug fit of sleeve about the cable is thus achieved. The groove between the remaining bore portions, then, provides the means whereby gapping of sleeve relative to cable is prevented.

Another object herein is to provide an improved insulating sleeve for a terminal electrical connector which, while curing the fault of gapping which occurs upon the use of heretofore known sleeves, still in all respects functions to perform its primary mission of protection of the connector, cable and the juncture between them as satisfactorily as presently known sleeves.

It is a still further object herein to provide means in an electrical connector protective sleeve which will prevent a gap from appearing upon bending of connector relative tocable, which means may be incorporated into insulating sleeves locally adjacent one end so that such sleeves may still be modified at their other ends should this be desirable in order to improve the functioning of the sleeve.

How these and many other objects are to be implemented will become apparent through a consideration of the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a plan view of a connector assembled to a cable and protected by an insulating sleeve, with a portion of the sleeve broken away to show the connector in terior thereto;

FIG. 2 is a section at 2-2 in FIG. 1, being a section view of the interior of the insulating sleeve; and

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 in which the connector is shown bent at an angle relative to the cable to illustrate the operation of the present invention.

Connector 10 has a crimp tube portion 11 crimped to strands 12 lying interiorly of insulation 13 strands 12 and insulation 13 together comprising the cable 14. The juncture which connector 10 makes with strands 12 of cable 14 lies interiorly of insulating sleeve 15.

Insulating sleeve 15 is a tube having an internal bore therein, portion 16 of such bore being the portion thereof which is of maximum internal diameter.

Insulating sleeve 15 has a connector end, which it will be understood is the end of the sleeve through which access to the connector is available, so that interengagement with a mating connector for connector 10 may be made therethrough. Sleeve 15 also has cable end 21, and it will be understood that cable 14 passes through such cable end 21 enroute to its juncture with connector 10, so that the cable end 21 of sleeve 15 overlays cable 14.

Bore portions 22, 23, and 24 of reducing diameter lie between bore portion 16 of maximum diameter and cable end 21 of sleeve 15. Annular groove 28 is present between bore portion 16 and bore portion 22; groove 29 between bore portions 22 and 23; and groove 30 between bore portions 23 and 24. Except for the present invention, in the condition shown in FIG. 3 of bent cable relative to connector and sleeve, a substantial gap would appear between the bottom of cable 14, identified by index number 33, and the surface of bore portion 24 of smallest diameter. Where the present invention is employed, however, such gap will not develop, and the substantially annular V-shaped grooves 28, 29, and 30 at the top in FIG. 3 will pinch together, While at the bottom of FIG. 3 they will expand, because of the reduced thickness of the sleeve.

I claim:

1. An insulating sleeve for a terminal member assembled to an electric cable, said sleeve (1) being capable of overlaying said terminal member and said cable, (2) having a cable end, and (3) having an internal bore therethrough, said bore having a plurality of portions, each portion being of uniform diameter throughout its length, a first of said portions having a maximum diameter and the other of said bore portions being of progressively smaller diameter extending from said first portion to said cable end of said sleeve, and an annular groove interiorly disposed within said sleeve between each pair of said plurality of bore portions, the wall thickness in said sleeve being at a minimum'at the bottom of said annular grooves.

2. An insulating sleeve as claimed in claim 1, wherein each said annular groove is substantially V-shaped in cross-section.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,632,788 3/1953 Ustin 339102 2,727,088 12/1955 LaWall 339101 X 2,891,101 6/1959 Koliss 17459 2,904,769 9/1959 Sampson et al. 33926 2,978,533 4/1961 Colbert 17493 3,167,374 1/1965 Healy 339-60 3,297,975 l/1967 Pope 33960 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,307,295 9/ 1962 France.

RICHARD E. MOORE, Primary Examiner 

